 On Friday, November 20th, the University of Nebraska Board of Regents will consider a controversial resolution to tie the hands of University scientists doing embryonic stem cell research.
As celebrated in March, President Barack Obama has restored fact-based science to its rightful place in federal government policy, ending the years-long imposition of religious dogma (masquerading as ethics) during the Bush Administration. However, ever since these doors of promise and progress reopened, powerful special interest groups have been hard at work trying to slam them back shut here in Nebraska.
Friday's vote by the Board of Regents whether to prohibit embryonic stem cell research beyond those few lines approved by former President George W. Bush eight years ago is shaping up to be the ultimate test of how far these extremists are truly able to push their anti-science agenda. It is very telling of the sad state of Nebraska politics that four of eight Regents have already signed on as co-sponsors of this ridiculous resolution. They are Regents Bob Phares of North Platte, Randy Ferlic and Howard Hawks of Omaha, and the newly-elected Tim Clare of Lincoln.
Clare's 2008 campaign was understood to be pivotal for the future of stem cell research at the University of Nebraska because he was running to replace a long-time supporter of such research on the closely divided Board. Still, Clare won the endorsements of the Omaha World-Herald and the Lincoln Journal-Star in that election - a de facto endorsement of his current crusade against the advancement of medicine and plain old academic freedom at our state's primary research institution.
Right now, it appears that only one man is standing in the way of this giant step backwards for the state of Nebraska. Only one man is standing in the way of our sending the message to the rest of the country and to the entire world that Nebraska is an unsafe place for science. This man is a scientist himself - Regent Jim McClurg of Lincoln (Ph.D. Biochemistry, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 1973).
With so impressive a resume and a background in the exact sorts of research that will be most affected by these proposed restrictions, it's very hard to imagine how McClurg could possibly vote for a policy that would make Nebraska the laughingstock of the scientific community. In fact, McClurg even served on the biochemistry faculty of the University of Nebraska Medical Center, which will see its reputation crumble - along with that of the entire state - should the extremists succeed in promoting their anti-science agenda. But, lucky for us, McClurg is a scientist. Not only that, but he's got direct connections and a personal history with the institution that would be most hurt by this resolution. We should have nothing to worry about, right?
The only problem is that McClurg is also a politician. He was appointed to the Board of Regents in 2002 by then-Governor Mike Johanns. He went on to win election to a full six-year term in 2006. Along the way, he allied himself with the anti-abortion activist community and even answered that he would support banning human embryonic stem cell research in a survey by Nebraska Right to Life.
I suppose an outright ban didn't seem like such a big deal when federal funding of the research was already so tightly restricted by Bush. But, here we are just a few years later and those Pied Pipers of pro-life voters have understandably come calling to collect. And, already they're making threats ("They know what happens when they go back on commitments they made to large voting blocs whom they courted during their elections.")
Of course, on this issue, their cause couldn't be farther from "pro-life." They're actively working against the discovery of medical treatments that will save lives and cure disease. Even worse, they're fighting against the use of excess embryos resulting from common fertility treatments. If those embryos were't used for research purposes, they'd ultimately end up as nothing more than medical waste in a trash can or an incinerator. Being pro-life means supporting embryonic stem cell research and its incredible potential. Opposing such research is just pro-waste and pro-incineration.
That said, I won't deny that Regent Jim McClurg may owe certain groups an apology. But, McClurg owes much more than that to the students and faculty of the University of Nebraska and to all the people of our state. He owes us a future. As a Regent, he's been entrusted with our state's future. McClurg's vote will say much about the state we are now and the state we want to be. If that's a state where special interests prevail and science has no place, we won't have much of a future at all.
The Nebraska Coalition For Lifesaving Cures has provided a great resource for contacting your elected representative on the Board of Regents and making sure your voice has been heard before Friday's debate. NNN also thanks Regents Chuck Hassebrook of Lyons, Bob Whitehouse of Papillion, and Kent Schroeder of Kearney for their strong stands in support of ethical embryonic stem cell research at a nationally-respected, internationally-competitive University of which every Nebraskan could be proud. |
